Greater Catholic Regional Schools celebrate 40 years

WOONSOCKET — While so much public attention has been focused on the fiscal turmoil of the public school system, its private, Catholic counterpart is marking 40 years with stable enrollments and tight but sustainable budgets.
“We’re holding our own,” said Larry Poitras, principal of Good Shepherd School, which, along with Monsignor Gadoury School, make up the Greater Woonsocket Catholic Regional School System. “Unless the economy tanks again, I see growth.”
But Poitras and System Administrator Paula Hurteau say the GWCRSS wouldn’t be able to function as well as it does without great financial sacrifices from the people who work there and the families who send their children to its schools. Tuitions run about $4,800 a year and teachers, despite holding the same certification credentials, earn about $36,000 a year at the top step of the salary scale, about half their peers in public schools.